Tariqa

Atariqa(Arabic:طريقة,romanized:ṭarīqa) is areligious orderofSufism,or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seekinghaqiqa,which translates as "ultimate truth".

A tariqa has amurshid(guide) who plays the role of leader or spiritual director. The members or followers of a tariqa are known asmuridin(singularmurid), meaning "desirous", viz. "desiring the knowledge ofGodand loving God "(also called afaqir). Tariqa is also believed to be the same asTzadikof Judaism meaning the "rightly guided one".

The metaphor of "way, path" is to be understood in connection of the term sharia which also hasthe meaning of "path",more specifically "well-trodden path; path to the waterhole". The "path" metaphor oftariqais that of a further path, taken by the mystic, which continues from the "well-trodden path" or exoteric of sharia towards the esoterichaqiqa.A fourth "station" following the succession ofshariah,tariqaandhaqiqais calledmarifa.This is the "unseen center" ofhaqiqa,and the ultimate aim of the mystic, corresponding to theunio mysticain Western mysticism.Tasawwuf,an Arabic word that refers to mysticism and Islamic esotericism, is known in the West as Sufism.

Orders of Sufism

Main article:List of Sufi orders

"Tariqat" in the Four Spiritual Stations:The Four Stations areSharia,Ṭarīqah,Haqiqa,and the fourth stationmarifa,which is considered "unseen" and actually located atthe centerof thehaqiqaregion. It is the essence of all four stations.

The most popular tariqa in the West is theMevlevi Order,named afterJalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.In the same time theBektashi Orderwas also founded, named after theHaji Bektash Veli.Five large tariqas in South Asia are: theNaqshbandiOrder, named afterBaha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari;theQadiriOrder,named afterAbdul Qadir Jilani;theChishtiOrder, named after Khawaja Mawdood Chisti while KhawajaMoinuddin Chishtiis the most famous sheikh; theSuhrawardiOrder, named afterShahab al-Din Suhrawardi;theBurhaniyyabecoming popular within the people of Pakistan & India. Large tariqats in Africa includeMuridiyya,BurhaniyyaandTijaniyya.Others can be offshoots of a tariqa. For example, theQalandariyyahas roots inMalamatiyyaand Wafa'i (a combination ofYasawiyya-SunniandBatiniyya-Shia) of orders are offshoots of theSuhrawardiorder. The Ashrafia after the 13th century illustrious Sufi saintAshraf Jahangir Semnaniis the sub branch of Chishti spiritual lineage. TheMaizbhandari Tariqaor Maizbhandari Sufi orderis a liberated Sufism order established in the Bangladesh in the 19th century by the Gausul Azam Shah Sufi Syed Ahmadullah Maizbhandari (1826 AD − 1906 AD), 27th descendant of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Warsi Tariqa was founded byWaris Ali Shah.

Membership in a particular Sufi order is not exclusive, unlike the Christian monastic orders which are demarcated by firm lines of authority and sacrament. Sufis often are members of various Sufi orders.The non-exclusiveness of Sufi orders has consequences for the social extension of Sufism. They cannot be regarded as indulging in a zero sum competition which a purely political analysis might have suggested. Rather, their joint effect is to impart to Sufism a cumulant body of tradition, rather than individual and isolated experiences.

In most cases thesheikhnominates hiskhalifaor "successor"during his lifetime, who will take over the order. In rare cases, if the sheikh dies without naming akhalifa,the students of the tariqa elect another spiritual leader by vote. In some orders it is recommended to take aKhaliffrom the same order as themurshid.In some groups it is customary for the khalifa to be the son of the sheikh, although in other groups the khalīfa and the sheikh are not normally relatives. In yet other orders a successor may be identified through the spiritual dreams of its members.

Tariqas havesilsilas(Arabic:سلسلة;"chain, lineage of sheikhs" ). All orders claim asilsilathat leads back to Muhammad throughAli,except theNaqshbandisilsila, which traces its roots toAbu Bakr,the firstCaliphofSunni Islam.

EveryMurid,on entering the tariqa, gets hisawrad,or daily recitations, authorized by hismurshid(usually to be recited before or after the pre-dawn prayer, after the afternoon prayer and after the evening prayer). Usually these recitations are extensive and time-consuming (for example theawradmay consist of reciting a certain formula 99, 500 or even 1000 times). One must also be in a state of ritual purity (as one is for the obligatory prayers to perform them while facingMecca). The recitations change as a student (murid) moves from a mere initiate to other Sufi degrees (usually requiring additional initiations). The Initiation ceremony is routine and consists of reading chapter 1 of theQuranfollowed by a single phrase prayer. Criteria have to be met to be promoted in rank: the common way is to repeat a single phrase prayer 82,000 times or more as in the case ofBurhaniyya,a number that grows with each achieved rank. Murids who experience unusual interaction during meditation: hear voices like "would you like to see a prophet?" or see visions who might even communicate with the Murid are held dear in the "Haḍra",the weekly group-chanting of prayers in attempt of reaching spirits as they are likely to experience something unusual and pass it on. This Murid is promoted faster than others. The least common way is to cause a miracle to happen with criteria similar to that of Catholic Sainthood.

Being mostly followers of the spiritual traditions of Islam loosely referred to as Sufism, these groups were sometimes distinct from theUlmaor officially mandated scholars, and often acted as informal missionaries of Islam. They provided accepted avenues for emotional expressions of faith, and the Tariqas spread to all corners of the Muslim world, and often exercised a degree of political influence inordinate to their size (take for example the influence that the sheikhs of theSafavidhad over the armies ofTamerlane,or the missionary work ofAli-Shir Nava'iinTurkistanamong theMongolandTatarpeople).

History

The tariqas were particularly influential in thespread of Islam in the sub-Saharaduring the 9th to 14th centuries, where they spread south along trade routes between North Africa and the sub-Saharan kingdoms ofGhanaandMali.On the West African coast they set up Zawiyas on the shores of the river Niger and even established independent kingdoms such asal-MurabitunorAlmoravids.The Al Hakika Mizaan Mizaani Sufi order deals with heavy internalization and meditations, their spiritual practice is called Al Qudra Mizaan [(United States)]. TheSanusiorder was also highly involved in missionary work in Africa during the 19th century, spreading both Islam and a high level of literacy into Africa as far south as Lake Chad and beyond by setting up a network ofzawiyaswhere Islam was taught.

Much ofCentral Asiaand southern Russia was won over to Islam through the missionary work of the Tarīqahs, and the majority ofIndonesia's population, where a Muslim army never set foot, was converted to Islam by the perseverance of both Muslim traders and Sufi missionaries.Sufism in Indiaplayed a similarly crucial role in the diffusion of Islam at the élite and popular levels; itsmusic,art,andpoetryflourished in a highly sophisticatedPersianate society.

Tariqas were brought to China in the 17th century byMa Laichiand other Chinese Sufis who had studied inMeccaandYemen,and had also been influenced by spiritual descendants of theKashgarianSufi masterAfaq Khoja.On the Chinese soil the institutions became known asmenhuan,and are typically headquartered near the tombs (gongbei) of their founders.

See also

• Dargah
• Dervish
• Khanqah
• Zawiya (institution)
• Noble Eightfold Path

Bibliography

• J. M. Abun-Nasr, "The Tijaniyya", London 1965
• M. Berger, "Islam in Egypt today - social and political aspects of popular religion", London, 1970
• J. K. Birge, "The Bektashi Order of Dervishes", London and Hartford, 1937
• Clayer, Nathalie,Muslim Brotherhood Networks,EGO - European History Online,Mainz:Institute of European History,2011, retrieved: May 23, 2011.
• O. Depont and X. Coppolani, "Les confreries religieuses musulmans" (the Muslim brotherhoods as they existed then), Algiers, 1897
• E. E. Evans-Pritchard, "The Sanusi of Cyrenaica", Oxford, 1949
• M. D. Gilsenen, "Saint and Sufi in Modern Egypt", Oxford, 1978
• G. H. Jansen, "Militant Islam", Pan, London 1979
• F. de Jong, "Turuq and Turuq-Linked Institutions in Nineteenth-Century Egypt", Brill, Leiden,1978
• J. W. McPherson, "The Moulids of Egypt", Cairo, 1941
• Mateus Soares de Azevedo,"Ordens Sufis no Islã: Iniciação às Confrarias Esotéricas muçulmanas no Irã xiita e no mundo sunita", São Paulo, Polar Editora, 2020

External links

• PHILTAR (Philosophy of Theology and Religionat the Division of Religion and Philosophy of St Martin's College) has a very usefulGraphical illustration of the Sufi schools.
• Infographics on the evolution of Tasawwuf and notable Sufi masters in history.Unveiling the Mystical World of Tasawwuf and Sufi Stories: Personal Experiences and Perspectives